Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies
Kansas State University

 

Kansas State University is seeking an individual with exceptional academic, strategic, and interpersonal capabilities to join the university’s senior academic leadership team in the newly created position of Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies.   Being a student-centered university is a vital aspect of the mission of Kansas State University as a public land grant research university. This new position will address the critical importance of the undergraduate educational experience and student success to our vision of becoming a Top 50 public research university by 2025.

The University:

Kansas State University (K-State) is located in Manhattan, a progressive community of over 50,000 residents, located in the scenic Flint Hills of Northeast Kansas.  The first college in America to be designated a land grant school, K-State is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive Institution and has ranked among the top state and private institutions of higher education in Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholars since 1986.   Our diverse student enrollment exceeds 23,800 students, includes residential, traditional age students and international, distance, first generation, military-veteran, adult degree completion, transfer, ethnic/cultural minorities, and in-state/out of state students.

Responsibilities: 

The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies will provide vision and leadership to advance the university’s goals for an outstanding undergraduate educational experience – one of the key themes identified in the K-State 2025 strategic plan. These goals include: building a connected, diverse, empowered, engaged, participatory culture of learning and excellence; promoting a successful student experience for all of our undergraduate students; and increasing undergraduate opportunities for research and service learning as hallmarks of a great land-grant research university.

The Vice Provost will report to the Provost/Senior Vice President and will serve as a university-wide advocate for undergraduate education and the undergraduate mission of the university and provide a central voice from the Provost’s Office on all matters related to undergraduate students and their university experience. 

H/she will provide strategic leadership and work collaboratively with the university community to shape and implement undergraduate education initiatives in the areas of student retention, undergraduate course development and management,  academic advising, the honors program, transition programs (such as First Year Experience), general education, interdisciplinary programs, undergraduate research, and service-based learning.  

H/she will work closely with leaders throughout the university and within the Provost’s Office including deans and department heads, the Vice President for Student Life, the Vice President for Research, the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, the Associate Provost for Diversity, the Associate Provost for International Programs, and K-State faculty to support and enhance a strong undergraduate experience that promotes academic success and retention of undergraduate students. 

Qualifications:

The successful candidates must have a terminal academic degree with at least five years of relevant experience and a record of teaching and scholarship that qualifies him or her for appointment at the associate professor or professor level in an academic department.  

In addition, the successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Proven success as a strategic leader with accomplishments in developing and growing new or existing innovative and effective undergraduate programs to promote student learning, retention, and success.

• Demonstrated ability to evaluate programs and their impact on student retention and student learning and success, and commitment to faculty development for excellence in undergraduate teaching and learning.

• Demonstrated record of success in administering and managing a program with responsibility for guiding strategy, managing finances, and motivating faculty and staff.

• Demonstrated ability to promote a collegial and constructive environment based on open communication, positive team building, effective management, and shared governance.

• Proven ability to initiate, lead, and facilitate change, as needed to meet shared university goals.

• Success as a collaborator and relationship builder, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills, and ability to build coalitions and collaborative working relationships with a broad range of diverse individuals and groups to achieve results. 

• Demonstrated success as an advocate for the whole student experience.

• Comprehensive knowledge of and appreciation for innovative uses and integration of technologies to enhance the undergraduate educational experience. 

• Commitment to and successful programmatic experience with undergraduate programs to support a diverse student population.

• Strong oral and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge of best practices in areas such as student retention, academic advising, course and enrollment management, and general education.

• Demonstrated appreciation for and experience with applied learning principles and concepts, such as undergraduate research, service-based learning, and internships.

Application Process:

Inquiries, nominations, and applications will be treated confidentially. Applicants should provide a letter of application; a vita; a 1 page statement outlining their vision for the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies; and contact information for three professional references with knowledge of the applicant's career and administrative experience. All documents should be submitted electronically in PDF format. To be considered, applications must be received by March 30, 2012.

Applications should be directed to:

Lori Goetsch, Chair
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies Search Committee
vpus@k-state.edu

For more details on Kansas State University and Manhattan, KS please visit the following websites:

Kansas State University
K-State 2025 Visionary Plan
Manhattan, KS

Kansas State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its employees. In accordance with Kansas Board of Regents policy, the University is required to run a background check on the final candidate.